James barker



J. BARKER.

INDEX ARRANGEMENT.

APPLICATIQN FILED MAY 4.19m.

Patented. July 1, 1919.,

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Specification of. Letters Patent.

Patented July l, 1919.

Application filed May 4., 191a. Serial No. cancer.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JAMEs BARKER, acitizen ,of the United States of America, residing at Ann Arbor in the county of Washtenaw and State of Michigan, have invented which th name or other index data is covered by a celluloid or other guard member which protects it in use.

Heretofore in the manufacture of folders,

index cards and the like the index has been provided with a celluloid guard member which isperma-nently fastened over the name 7 or other index data. However such construction issoexpensiv'e as to prohibit the folder which is employed in ordinary use from being utilized as a transfer folder. This necessitates the employment of additional transfer folders and also the additional work of transferring from one folder to the other.

The present invention contemplates a construction which can be economically manufactured and in which the celluloid, metal or other guard member is formed separate from the index card or folder and is attached thereto during the active use of the device and is so arranged as to be conveniently re moved and applied to a new-folder at the time of transfer; to construct and arrange the parts that the index on the folder, card or other member'which-is protected by the removable guard or sheath when in active use can also be retained when the folder is used for transfer purposes.

The invention also resides in the novel ar rangement for preventing accidental displacement of the guard or sheath member and in such further details of construction and arrangements and combinations of parts as will more fully hereinafter appear.

lln the drawings:

Figure l is a perspective View of a folder embodyingmy invention showing the sheath or 'uard partly removed; I

1g. 2 is a cross-section onthe line 22 of Fig. 1, with the guard in position;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing a slight modification.

Describing in detail the particular embodiment of my invention shown in the drawings, A designates a folder which comprises a sheath of Manila paper or other suitable material bent to form a back section B and a front section C connected at the bottom by an integral return bend D. At its upper end the folder is provided with an index E, the

particular construction and arrangement of which forms the salient feature of my invention. 1 In general the index comprises an inclined surface F which is preferably formed on an 1 integral tab G which extends from the back section. B upwardly then forwardly to produce the inclined surface l downwardly and Y rearwardly' to a position adjacent the front face of the back section B to which it is pasted or otherwise secured at H. In place of forming this additional tabsection 'of celluloid or metal permanently secured to the main body section of the folder the index slip J is positioned on top of the inclined surface F and when the device is in active use it is protected by a sheath K formed of celluloid or other suitable transparent material.

In the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2 this sheath is formed with a back section L and inclined top section L and'aforward flange L arranged, to fit over the ll-shaped tab on the folder. The sheath is preferably arranged to have sufficient frictional contact with the tabso as to prevent its accidental displacement. However, in order to avoid displacement of the sheath its back section L is preferably provided with a struck-out lug M which when it registers with the opening 0 in the tab section of the folder will spring into interlocking engagement therewith. This will lock the sheath from accidental displacement so that the folder can be employed in active use the same as if the sheath were an integral part of the folder.

When, however, it .is desired totransfer the correspondence or other subject-matter at the beginning of the year or other period it is only necessary to insert a lead pencil or other member into the opening 0 and force the lug L back out of engagement so that the sheath E can he slipped off from the tab section. The 'folder can then be transferred directly to the storage file without removing it from the cover formed by the sections 1? and C. By pasting or other" ltd llll

wise securing the index strip J permanently to the inclined surface F of the tab section the transfer folder will be conveniently indexed. However, as the transfer folder is seldom referred to it is not necessary to have it protected "by a sheath or other guard. This allows the same set of sheaths or guards tobe employed for different folders and the novel arrangement of the tab section further permits the use of a single folder for active use and later for use as a transfer device.

In place of forming the sheath of celluloid or transparent material I may employ the construction shown in Fig. 3 in which the sheath Q is made of metal and has an elongated aperture B through which the name or other data on the index tax is visi- 'be'taken hold of by the user when turning to any particular folder and in place of grasping the index tab directly, the, celluloid or metal s'heath or guard is taken holdof. The tab is then protected both from becoming soiled or worn and as the same sheath or guard can be used over and over again with different folders the ultimate cost is comparatively slight. In place offorming the tab Gr as an integral part of the back section it could of course be made as a separate member from Manila paper or index cards and other devices of similar na-v ture.

\Vhat I claim as my invention is:

1. The combination "ith a body section havin an index tab, of a removable sheath engaging said tab, said sheath havingan inwardly extending resilient lug and said body section having an opening in which aid lug engages.

2. The combination with a body section having an index tab member, of a removable sheath member engaging said tab member, one of said members having an inwardly extending resilient lug and the other having an opening in which said lug engages.

3. The combination with a body section having an index tab downwardly returnbent and having its free edge secured to the surface of said body section, said returnbent portion having oppositely-inclined faces forming with the body section a triangular tuhe, of a sheath adapted to fit over said return-bent portion and adapted to interlock therewith to prevent accidental displacement of said sheath from the tab.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

JAMES BARKER. 

